Been There Done That

 

Several years ago, my son and one of my daughters took to the deer woods during the Minnesota firearms hunting season.  The three of us spread out, each taking a different stand in a different area of the woods.  I wasn’t in my stand for 30 minutes before I heard my daughter discharge her Stevens 30-30 model 325 bolt-action rifle.  The rifle was my first deer rifle, which had been given to me when I was 12 years old by my father.  It is an old, plain Jane rifle with birch wood stock and a mostly un-blued finish, which has been used to kill and not kill many a white tail.

I was thrilled at hearing the shot and anticipating the recovery of the next white tail to be taken by the WWII vintage firearm.  As I approached my daughter, still in her stand, she gave me an excited “thumbs up” to confirm that she had fired and harvested her next table-worthy game animal. 

Before I began to track the wounded stag, I discussed the progression with my young hunter.  She took the time and expressed the event with her still shaking voice and hands.

“It was a spike buck…he came from the north-east…and…he walked straight at me…I brought the gun up…and he turned and stopped…18 yards away…and I shot…then he ran…only about 20 yards…straight that way…he looked around and then ran away…”

I spent the next 20 minutes looking for blood, hair and tracks.  Finally, after practically licking the ground looking for any signs of impact or a wounded animal I had to ask…”Are you sure you hit it?”

“Yes! I must have…it was only 18 yards away!”

“I know…but I am not finding anything.”

I spent 20 more minutes looking.  I came back the next day and looked some more.  Sadly, we never found a single sign of impact let alone the deer.

My poor daughter was discouraged and distraught. 

“I don’t know what happened? I don’t know how I could have missed?”

“I understand.”

The truth of it is…I understood more than she could know.  In fact, most hunters can probably relate.  All hunters have stories of how we have missed and made mistakes in either shooting or tracking deer.  I gave my daughter a hug and said… “I have been there…done that.”

I began telling her stories of deer that I had missed…with the same rifle in fact.  Countless stories of how I had messed up.  I couldn’t change her outcome…but I wanted her to know…that I can relate.

As I have been studying the Gospel of Matthew, I continue to see more and more how Jesus also can relate to us.  He suffered in every way and was tempted in every way.  He can relate.  He was a refugee (Matthew 2:13-23)…he was impoverished…he suffered pain…he suffered grief.  I believe that whatever we endure in this world…Jesus understands.

May you come to see that Jesus know you and he knows what you are going through.

You know…now that I think about it…maybe the rifle is the reason that we both missed the deer???  I can live with that…and I guess…so can the deer.